Saving lives Fishing for money Developers on the mainland are turning to private real estate funds for capital
Starting on the back foot Highly rated Able Friend draws ‘impossible’ gate for Sunday’s Champions Mile
Manners really matter Well-known author Bi Feiyu fears Hong Kong is starting to lose its civilised nature
> B U S I N E S S B1
> S P O R T C16
> LEADING THE NEWS A3
> LIFE C5
Friday, May 2, 2014 / See live updates at www.scmp.com / HK$9
PUBLISHED SINCE 1903 / VOLUME LXX / NO 120
HEALTH
Meet the police officers who deal with the depressed and suicidal
DIGEST
XINJIANG
SUPERBUG INFECTION ‘EVERY 18 MINUTES’
Holidaymakers endure nightmare traffic Traffic jams are nothing new in Beijing but with the start of the Labour Day holiday, congestion in the capital seemed worse than ever. The worst traffic conditions were reported on the BeijingTibet expressway, where outbound vehicles were at a virtual standstill yesterday. > CHINA A6
Adams’ arrest could have political fallout Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been arrested by Northern Ireland police in connection with a 1972 murder. Adams, 65, who has always denied membership of the Irish Republican Army, said he was “innocent of any part” in the killing. > WORLD A11
Statistics for public hospitals show cases have risen 15pc since 2011, with overcrowding and HK’s ageing population given as key factors ................................................ Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com Public hospitals reported a new case of superbug infection every 18 minutes last year, according to Hospital Authority figures. And more than a tenth of the cases led to a blood infection that put patients at risk of developing life-threatening sepsis without prompt treatment. The statistics show an overall 15 per cent increase in three major types of superbug infection from 2011.
There’s evidence that improved access to rapid diagnostic testing can save lives DR HO PAK-LEUNG, MICROBIOLOGIST
They underline the threat from superbugs, which was branded a “global emergency” in a World Health Organisation report on Wednesday. Hong Kong University microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung – who presented the figures at the Centre for Health Protection’s annual hand hygiene campaign launch on Tuesday – said the alarming speed at which superbugs spread at public hospitals was a serious concern, particularly in view of the city’s ageing population. Last year, a total of 22,936 new patients were infected by one of the three major superbugs – extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRA) – up from 19,881 cases
recorded in 2011. A superbug is a bacterium that has developed resistance to antibiotic drugs, rendering common treatments ineffective. The reasons for the sharp rise in resistance are “complicated”, Ho said. But he explained: “Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. “Because of overcrowding, organisms spread easily from people to people both in hospitals and in the community. Ho, chairman of the Health Protection Programme on Antimicrobial Resistance and a member of the Scientific Committee on Infection Control at the Centre for Health Protection, added: “The increasing elderly population also makes the situation worse. Old people are more likely to develop infections and so require more treatment with antibiotics.” Overprescription of antibiotics is another reason for the rise. Ho said this problem was intensified by “very limited access” to rapid diagnostic testing facilities for public hospital doctors, which reduced their ability to give patients precise treatment in emergencies. “So many doctors will try to err on the safer side and overprescribe,” he said. Last year at Queen Mary Hospital alone, 232 patients died due to bloodstream infections. Of these, 35 per cent were dead by the time their test reports were returned. “There’s good evidence that improved access to rapid diagnostic testing can save lives.” Ho added that more transparency was needed about patients infected by superbugs in Hong Kong because data provided by the Hospital Authority lacked detail. “I don’t see a legitimate reason not to make full disclosure of the figures,” he said.
Potential killers Top 3 superbugs in hospitals Multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) New patients New patients 2011 2013 ESBL
11,613
12,510
MRSA
6,571
7,793
CRA
1,697
2,633
Total
19,881
22,936
Change +8%
+55%
Source: Hospital Authority
WORLD
Rob Ford takes leave of absence Crack-smoking Toronto mayor enters rehab after new video emerges > PAGE A10
1,848
+19%
+15%
Bacteremia patients 2013
715 100 2,663 SCMP
A heavy security presence outside Urumqi railway station, the scene of Wednesday’s bomb and knife attack. Photos: Simon Song
Urumqi bombing was suicide attack Two religious extremists used knives then set off explosives, police say ................................................ Adrian Wan in Urumqi and Teddy Ng in Beijing Xinjiang authorities said two assailants carried out a suicide attack on Wednesday evening at Urumqi’s main railway station. The attack left one bystander dead and 79 people injured. The assailants, one of whom was identified as Sedirdin Sawut, 39, from Aksu in south-
ern Xinjiang, were influenced by “extreme” religious thoughts, Xinhua reported. The assailants “set off bombs tied on their bodies and died” after launching frenzied knife attacks, People’s Daily reported through its official microblog, citing a police investigation. “This is a bomb explosion case of a violent terrorist nature,” Xinhua reported, but it did not say whether the attackers were related to overseas groups.
ACCOUNTABILITY
State Grid chairman targeted in huge audit ................................................ Staff Reporter The nation’s largest electricity grid operator, the State Grid Corporation of China, has been told to prepare 1,000 workspaces for state inspectors to conduct an accountability audit of the company’s chairman, Liu Zhenya, a source said yesterday. It will be one of the largest such audits ever carried out of a state-owned enterprise and will last at least until October, a person close to the National Audit Office said yesterday. The audit office and other authorities had previously received letters alleging financial problems and accusing the power company’s management of potential corruption. State media including the website of People’s Daily said five audit teams had been sent to the company, without giving details of the audit. The corporation’s public relations officers could not be reached for comment yesterday, which was a public holiday. The source, who did not want to be named, said that although there was no tip-off directly tar-
geting Liu, 61, the authorities had received complaints suggesting he was indirectly responsible for alleged problems and the audit would focus on accounts kept during his time as general manager. It may go back to 2004, when Liu took up the position. The audit may also be widened to include overseas assets, as well as some private companies contracted bythe power firm for outsourced projects in Shandong province, according to sources close to the audit office and the company. Under the Audit Law, accountability audits are different from regular audits. All heads of central-level state-owned enterprises are supposed to be audited every several years. The main purpose is to investigate the person’s “economic responsibility” – a term covering awide range of managerial roles – during his tenure. The results of the investigation can be referred to in later evaluations by discipline inspection authorities and the personnel organisation department. > AUDIT STARTS A6
CITY FOCUS UNITING THE WORKERS IN CHINA Running in the Hermit Kingdom > PAGE A4
Hong Kong’s Lee Wing-on recounts a marathon with a difference > PAGE C1
The attack coincided with the end of a four-day inspection tour to the Uygur region by President . Xi Jinping The regional government did not say if police had detained any people. An overseas Uygur group said up to 100 had been arrested. Security and Xinjiang affairs experts said the incident was planned as Xi wrapped up his visit – a sign that extremists were escalating confrontation with the leadership in Beijing.
Yesterday armoured vehicles were stationed at the entrances of the railway station, with hundreds of armed officers with riot shields patrolling nearby. The station exit, where the blast took place was cordoned off. “We were waiting outside the station for a train, and then the bomb exploded. Many pieces of luggage were scattered around. I then saw a man whose leg was seriously hurt limping out of the station,” said a traveller from Wuxi in Jiangsu province, who was hoping to get on a > CONTINUED ON A3
Legislators trade blame over filibusters With the debate on the budget bill postponed because of filibusters, lawmakers are now at loggerheads over how best to deal with such tactics. Pandemocrats say lawmakers should deal with the problem, while their opponents accuse of them of hypocrisy. > CITY C2
Komura visit a test of Sino-Japanese ties All eyes are on Masahiko Komura, the vice-president of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, who begins a visit to Beijing on Sunday. How he will be greeted and who he meets could indicate the state of SinoJapanese ties. > ASIA A8